l San Fernando Valley Stat e College TWO ASPECTS OF STUDENT NEED II FOR TEXTILE PHODUCT INFORMATION A the sis submi tted in partial satis£action of the requi reme nt s for th'e " degree of Ma!ster of Science in : ! tf} Ho me Economi cs by Dorothy c. Blackman January, 1972 I The thesis of Doro thy c. Blackman is approved : San Fernando Val ley State College January, 1971 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I should like to express my gratitude to Dr. Marjory L. Joseph, Mrs . Betty J. Bailey , and Dr . Richard F. Campbell £or their assistance and criticism during the preparation o£ thi s study . A special note o£ appreciation go es to Mrs. Louise sutton £o r her encouragement and co op eration in pre- testing questionnaires. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ' • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii i LI ST OF TABLES vi ABSTRACT vii CHA P1'ER I. INTRODUCTION 1 Statement of the Problem 1 Purpo se of the study 2 Importance of the Study J Nature of the Study 4 Assumptions 4 Limitations 5 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6 Th eo ry of Cognitive Di ssonance 6 Leg al Label ing Requirements 11 Regulations and Congres sional Acts ll Premature Market ing In novations , .. 14 Incompatible Combinations 15 Educating the Consumer 16 Lab el ing 17 Industry, Government Co mmun ic ation with the co nsu mer 25 w'h en , r.-l�ercl, How Co nsumer Can Learn JO Home Economists� Role in Consumer Affairs Jl Consumer Education - Life- Span Concept J6 III. METHODS OF INVESTIGATI ON J9 The Sampl e 39 The Ques t ionnaires J9 IV. ANALYSIS OF DATA AND INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS 44 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) CHAPTER Questionnaire #l 44 Que�tionnaire #2 74 Questionnaire #3 75 V. SUMMARY , CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE STUDY 79 summary 79 Conclusions 81 Recommendations 82 BIBLIOGRAPHY 84 APPENDICES A. Questionnaire #l 91 B. Questionnaire #2 96 c. Que stionnaire #3 103 ADDENDUM l05 V. LIST OF TA BLE S Table Page I. Demographi c Make-Up of' Sample Population 47 II. Educational Le vel an d Ba ckground of Sa mp le Pop ulation III. Summary of'Re sponses: "Do you read manuf'acturers' labels on bolts of' f'abri c?" 51 IV . su mmary of' Re sponse s: "Do you read manuf'acturers' labels on garments you buy?" 53 V. Re cognit io n of' Te xt ile Pr oduct Labeling Terms 60 VI. Kno wl edge of'Go vernmen t Te xtile Labeling Re quirements 6J VII. Re co gni tion of' Co nsumer In tere st Agencies 66 VIII. In tro �uction of' Co ncepts Re lated to Consumer Education in Te xtiles and Clothing 77 vi ABS TRACT TWO ASPECTS OF STUDENT NEED FOR TEXTI LE PRODUCT INFORMATION by Dorothy c. Bl ackman Master of Science in Home Economi cs January , 1972 Co llege students in an introductory textiles cl ass proved to be un informed in important aspe ct s of the textile-clothing marketplace . Th is was sh own in an exploratory questionnaire. A second questionnaire , des igned as a student fi eld study , introduce d the sample po pulation to such areas of co nsumer interest as labeling an d legi slation , care in struct ions provided by manufa ct urers , and wo rds and phrases on labels related to fi bers , yarn processes, fabri c construction , fini sh and co lor. After the sample po pulation devoted three months to a study of these and other topics of co nsumer interest in textiles and clothing, a third and fi nal opinion ques- tionnaire wa s submitted. It wa s revealed that these same students wo uld enco ur age the study of co nsumer affairs beginning wi th the early school ye ars and co ntinuing thro ugh all grades. vii This study explores some of the problems faced by co nsumers in the textile- clo thing marketplace . It summari zes several solutions being offered by government and in dustry, and sugge sts that the professional home economi st might serve a vi tal ro le as ca talytic informa­ tion agen t between the c on sQmer and eovernment and in dustry. viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In a message to the House of Representatives on February 25, 1971, President Nixon stated officially what most people already knew - that the consumer 11often finds himself confronted with what seems an impenetrable complexity of many of our consumer goods.11 (53:1) Faced with a multitude of options, the American consumer is subject to a state of psychological tension which sometimes leads him to make decisions based on almost anything but the facts. After a purchase, the consumer questions his judgment because he knows his decision was reached through odd, sometimes conflicting bits of information gleaned from such sources as hearsay, newspapers, magazines and advertising. The textile and clothing marketplace epitomizes the setting for haphazard choice because the average consumer knows very little about modern textiles. This disoriented state has been recognized by governmental and non-governmental agencies concerned with consumer affairs, by textile-clothing manufacturers, by organizations charged with setting produc� standards and by educators. Each segment has in recent years accelerated efforts to educat.e the consumer so that as he becomes more knowledgeable he will also become more capable of making 2 calm and wise selections of textiles and clothing. Purpose of the Study One objective of the present study was to determine how much the average college-level consumer knows from experience, from reading manufacturers• labels, and f�om consumer education classes, about words and phrases applied to textiles and clothing. Previous studies have shown that consumers in other segments of the population tend to be largely ignorant in this respect. (61, 62) The population for the present study was the entire membership of two general education classes in intro­ ductory textiles where consumer educs.tion is an integral part of the curriculum. Because of the investigator's previous experience with students in similar classes, and due to the results of the studies mentioned above, as well as indics.tions in other avail9:ble literature, e.n investigation only into the degree of student-consumer knowledge seemed re�etitive. Therefore, after the sample population devoted three months to a study of topics of consumer interest in textiles and clothing, a secondary objective was explored, using the same subjects. This objective was to determine - from what were nm'T assumed to be more knowledgeable consumers - where selected topics related to clothing and textiles should be placed in an overall curriculum (all grades - K through 3 college ) . Importance of the Study The latter part of the study is perhaps the most important. Recent literature shows accelerated interest in revamp�ng school curriculum at all levels to include those topics that ;�ould help consumers become more informed and more effective buyers and users of goods and services. ( 3, 13, 26 ) In the present study, discussions of what to teach at which levels will be limited to various aspects of textiles and clothing. However, it is recognized that, in fact, consumer problems related to textiles and clothing should not be isolated in a separate class from the total consumer education picture on any but the college level. Within the general discipline of home economics, the "impenetrable complexityn in the market­ place referred to by President Nixon could also be reflected in a study of problems faced by the consumer in foods, home furnishings, home management, or any other unit of a total home econohlics program. There is no implication here that a student could become a completely knowledgeable consumer through a shift in emphasis in home economics programs alone. However, Part F, a 1968 amendment to the Vocational Act of 196 3, clearly identifies consumer education as one aspect of home economics. ( 37) 4 Nature of the study Finding ways and means to answer this basic need for • educating consumers of all ages seems urgent. Literature concerning consumer behavior in gener-81 is voluminous. However, writings concerned specifically with the textile­ clothing aspect of consumer education through home econo­ mics is sporadic. Therefore, this study is exploratory in nature. No formal hypothesis is suggested. Data gathered and reported in the following pages reflect the current dil�a faced by consumers and note corrective trends� Such trends include a new attitude of urgency to educate consumers of all ages in a 11life-span11 program of consumer education ( 36 :13); more effective communication between manufacturer and consumer; and the vital role the professional home eccn­ omist can play in the chain of communication between gov­ ernment, business, industry and the ultimate consumer. Assumptions This study assumes that: 1. The sample population is typical of metropolitan students throughout the United States who commute to college. 2. The average college student is an uninformed consumer of textiles end clothing. 3. He is unacquainted with properties or expected performance of the vast array of textiles and clothing he buys, and when dissatisfied, does not 5 articulate hi s di ssatisfaction . Or, that in our largely affluent society he may prefer to di scard a faulty item rather than return it to the store or write to the manufacture r. 4. T�e average college-level consume r is unawa re of legislation designed to protect his interests as a consumer of textiles. 5 . He does not know of local, state and federal or non-governmental agencies to whi ch he might register a legitimate complaint . 6. As with other con sume rs, the average college­ level consumer is unawa re of industry effort s to educate the consumer, and of the fact that many reliable compani es wi th quality cont rol prog rams welcome returns for testing .